Ralph Lauren

Lysse

Reebok

Maidenform

Maidenform has been a trusted bra brand for over 90 years, but came to Insight for some extra support during the launch of their new line of full-figure bras. We strapped in and got to work defining the full-figured consumer: her needs, purchase drivers, and pain points.

We conducted focus groups with women aged 18-55 in order to pinpoint products and messaging that resonated with the full-figured consumer. Our innovative qualitative design helped us discern the differences between industry speak and consumer speak, allowing Maidenform to see the “retail reality” of consumers.

Our analysis helped bust bra myths and provide Maidenform with an informed communications strategy. We helped the brand redefine “full-figure” as a marketing concept, and craft direct and relatable products and messaging that had consumers feeling supported from top to bottom!

Aldo

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Getting smart about smart shoppers

All You

All You is a women’s magazine that contains recipes, fashion, beauty tips, and exclusive coupons – all geared towards women who have made shopping smart their mission. But, post-recession, other brands wandered into their territory to try and stake a claim to this audience. So, All You came to Insight to establish their authority and ownership of the smart shopping movement, while debunking any myths linking smart shopping behavior to income. We set out to get smart about penny pinchers, budget hunters, and daily deal devotees!

Our work discovered that smart shopping is a movement that’s defined by a mindset, rather than a demographic. Our rich segmentation defined three core segments towards whom to focus communications, marketing, and editorial content. And, we gave All You an ad sales and press story about the power, influence, and value of their readership.

All You came away as an authority on how women shop, armed with the whole truth behind budget-conscious shopping behaviors. What’s smarter than that?!

Soaring above the rest

American Eagle Outfitters

The call of the mall is powerful among today’s youth, and fashion options are plentiful once they get there. American Eagle Outfitters knows that you don’t get many second chances with this very discriminating audience, and luring them means winning from every angle, including brand image (Makes me feel cool!), style (So cute!), fit (My butt looks awesome!), and store experience (Easy and fun!).

Our ongoing work with AE hits every brand pillar, ensuring a unified and differentiating brand experience for its consumers – the right products, the right messaging, the right sub-brands, and the right targets, across the US and Canada. We help AE stay on top of trends, delight their current core consumers, attract new brand enthusiasts, and bring the brand in lucrative new directions (e.g., intimates, kids, plus-size).

Banana Republic

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Portfolio strategy, with arch support!

Brown Shoe

If you’ve got feet, chances are that at some point you’ve walked in a Brown Shoe. The family of brands includes Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl’s, Via Spiga, Franco Sarto, Zodiac, Sam & Libby, and Buster Brown, as well as retail sources like Famous Footwear and Shoes.com. That’s a lotta sole!

Our long-term partnership with Brown Shoe began with a portfolio analysis and consumer segmentation work. We helped them understand how to position each brand to a distinct audience and also provided “perfect fit” guidance for communications, retail strategy, product design, and acquisitions. Subsequently, we have informed specific brands and retail channels.

Most importantly, we helped to create a cohesive internal understanding of the consumer, so that the entire organization could walk in targets’ shoes, and effectively tailor strategies to their needs.

Proof points for a valuable customer base

Essence

Many marketers know they should reach out to African-American women but often do not know why or how. For Essence, closing this knowledge gap is crucial to bringing in advertising and boosting other business opportunities. Thus, over the years we have worked with the Essence team to fuel their knowledge and authority on African-American women overall – their relationship to shopping, family, technology, etc.

Most recently, Essence came to us to dispel common myths about African-American women’s relationship to beauty. Through qualitative work and a quantitative segmentation study, we delivered a compelling narrative with detailed consumer profiles – their unique beauty needs, what drives their value equation, their most trusted brands, and what shapes their relationship to Essence. Furthermore, we provided Essence with a powerful tool to go out and bust some myths!

Estee Lauder

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Everything But Water

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GAP

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Wooing them with caviar and champagne

Gucci

With a new designer at the helm of a legendary brand, Gucci wanted to know how to stay true to its roots while heralding in a new generation.

Explorations required talking to designer fashion consumers, who are not an easy lot to reach. To lure participants and get them excited about the research process, we pampered them with a VIP party, conducting international research salons in high-end luxury hotels, complete with gourmet food, cocktails, and chic décor.

Our implications included principles for evaluating communications campaigns based on timeless and timely fashion attributes their targets seek, allowing Gucci to deepen loyalty with core customers and increase relevance with new ones.

iVillage

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Lane Bryant

With a closet full of unique brand entities, Ascena Retail Group came to Insight looking to pool their brand expertise and position their brand portfolio. In an ever shifting fashion marketplace, Ascena sought to keep a pulse on their current customers’ needs and behaviors. Our wardrobe of prior fashion research made us well-suited to understand how Ascena could stay a thread ahead of consumer needs!

Our topical deep dives into the different brands have informed on product innovation, marketing and communications, and even retail design for Ascena. Since trying this exciting new research design on for size, we’ve helped make recommendations that have the Ascena Retail Group portfolio looking exceptionally well- tailored.

Lee

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L’oreal

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Nautica

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Keeping close company with the consumer

New York & Company

New York & Company was looking to become a more consumer-focused business. In our first study, stripping her down to her core retail and lifestyle needs, and informing how to tailor strategies to her.

Later studies have ranged from the detailed (testing particular lines of clothing in our Style Labs) to big-picture (defining the new meaning of “Wear-to-Work” for the modern woman).

Our partnership has informed a fresh, consumer-relevant, and better defined direction for the brand. In addition, we’ve provided them with a target segment who can be the muse for all brand touch point decisions, from merchandising to design and communications.

Riding the recession in style

Payless

A few years back, we helped Payless re-strategize its business from the ground up. Via extensive qualitative research and a quantitative segmentation, we identified target consumers and uncovered perceptions of the brand vs. competitors. Our work influenced branding, marketing, store environment, product assortment, and even the logo, moving the brand from a non-descript discount shoe retailer into a fun house of brands with limitless possibilities.

But as the marketplace changed, so did the shoe shopper… and we helped Payless stay connected to recession-hit consumers by providing an understanding of how shoes could help people ride the rough patches in style.

We shared the emotional benefits gleaned from loafers and stilettos, and how Payless could be the bridge between affordable and fashionable.

Red Envelope

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Insight has an ear to the ground to decode cultural trends.

We are social scientists on a mission to reveal human truth.

Our research-driven strategy inspires clients across categories.

We’re cultural ambassadors who translate local values for global brands.